Arignota stercorata is a moth in the family Xyloryctidae. It was described by Thomas Pennington Lucas in 1894. It is found in Australia,[1] where it has been recorded from New South Wales and Queensland. It is also found in Papua New Guinea.
| Arignota stercorata | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Lepidoptera |
| Family: | Xyloryctidae |
| Genus: | Arignota |
| Species: | A. stercorata
|
| Binomial name | |
| Arignota stercorata (T. P. Lucas, 1894)
| |
| Synonyms | |
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The wingspan is 28–35 mm. The forewings are white, with a number of pale leaden-coloured spots imitative of birds' droppings. There is an acute spot in the centre and a splash tinted with ferrous in the inner angle of the base. A triangular blotch is found at three-fifths of the costa and there are five round spots, the first near the costa at one-eighths, the second obliquely to the first and posterior, the third before the middle in the centre of the wing, the fourth at three-fourths of the wing, the fifth in a line with the fourth but nearer to the costa. Two sharp dots are arranged diagonally with first and second spots and four dots form a rhomboid figure at three-fifths, the two hinder ones tinted with purplish black. There is also an obscure dot on the hindmargin at five-sixths, and another half-way between this and the apex. There are three rows of fine hindmarginal spots. The hindwings are white.
The larvae feed on Elaeocarpus obovatus. They bore in the stem, feeding on leaves it cuts off and attaches at the entrance to the tunnel.[2]
References
edit- ^ Savela, Markku (12 December 2013). "Arignota stercorata (Lucas, 1894)". Lepidoptera and Some Other Life Forms. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
- ^ McMillan, Ian (11 October 2010). "Arignota Turner, 1898". Xyloryctine Moths of Australia. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
